Lawn edger



April 12, 1949. H. McKEE 2,467,327

LAWN E DGER Filed June 4, 1945 H at'la L. NFKee Patented Apr. 12, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAWN EDGER Harley L. McKee, Robblnsdale, Minn.

Application June 4, 1945, Serial No. 597,416

'7 Claims.

My invention. relates to improvements in lawn edgers, an object thereof being to provide a simple, durable and inexpensive article of such nature adapted to be easily and effectively operated by the user.

More specifically, it is an object of my invention to supply an article of the instant nature, the principal element of which consists of a blade comprising a main portion and nose and butt portions, the butt having a marginal cut-out therein to provide a handle-mount at the extremity of said buttv and an opening forwardly thereof "for the reception of the fingers grasping said handle.

Another object of the invention is to provide an edger of the present character in which the longitudinally intermediate portion of the blade is formed with saw-teethalong the lower edge thereof in rearward continuation of a downwardly and rearwardly inclined cutting and guiding edge of the nose of said blade, whereby any matter not readily severed by the cutting edge will be subjected to the action of the sawteeth on said blade.

Another object of the invention is to provide a beveled sharpening of the cutting-guiding edge of the nose of the edger blade in a manner tending to cause the forward portion of the blade to be urged transversely toward the edge-wall of a'walk, curb or the like along which the edger is operated.

A feature of the invention resides in the employment of the cutting-guiding edge of the pose as an edge forming one edge of a point at the tip of the nose for lifting debris or other matter from the turf, another feature of the invention being to provide a second point, companion to said first point, whereby the two points form a crotch therebetween and cooperate to sever a root received in such crotch.

Another object of the invention is toprovide gauge means for the blade of an edger of the present nature adapted adjustably to limit the depth of the cut thereof, also to guide the user in maintaining a certain angularity of the blade transversely thereof in reference to the edgewall of a wall or curb and, further, to guide the user in maintaining any of various selected angular relationships of the blade longitudinally thereof relative to the upper surface of such walk or curb and, correspondingly, to the'sod along the same.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a lawn edger embodying my present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the same.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein similar parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout the several views, it will be seen that the illustrated embodiment of my invention has as its principal element an elongated blade A including a main or body portion ID, a nose portion ll forwardly of said main portion, and a butt portion 12 rearwardly thereof. From end to end, the upper and lower edges of the blade A generally converge from the butt l2 toward the nose II. The butt 421s formed with an elongatedmarginal cut-out 13 extending upwardly and forwardly from a point near the lower edge of the blade A to a point near the upper edge thereof. Rearwardly of said cut-out I 3, the extremity of the butt i2 provides a handle-mount I4 to which a handle I5 is secured. Said handle l5 may be of wood or other suitable material and, as shown, may be in the form of a cylinder kerfed longitudinally, as at Hi, to receive said handle-mount l4. Fastening screws l1, threaded in the handle l5 and extending through openings in the handle-mount l4, secure the handle in place upon the butt of the blade A. The fingers of a users hand, upon grasping the handle [5, are freely accommodated in the cut-out [3 in the butt 12 of said blade A.

The lower edge of the nose ll of the blade A is sharpened and inclined downwardly and rearwardly, the same constituting a relatively long cutting-guiding edge l8. The lower edge of the main portion In of said blade, constitutes a continuation of said. cutting-guiding edge 18 and is formed with teeth l9 having relatively long unsharpened edges 20 extending upwardly and rearwardly from the tips of the teeth and haw ing relatively short sharpened cutting edges 21 extending upwardly and forwardly from said tooth-tips. Said inclined cutting-guiding edge I8 is several times longer than the pitch-length of said teeth 19.

The nose ll of the blade A is formed with an upper point 22 and lower point 23, both extend.- ing-forwardly of said blade. The cutting-guiding edge 18 of the nose, ll forms the lower edge of the lower point 23 and the upper edge of the nose ll forms the upper edge of the upper point 22. The lower and upper edges 22, 23 of the upper and lower points, 22, 23, converge rearwardly forming a crotch 24 and said edges 22, 23 are beveled to render the same sharp. Either of the points 22, 23 may be used as a root extractor, or for like purpose, and the said two points 22, 23 may be used together to embrace a root in the crotch and to sever the root so embraced.

Attached to the blade A at one side thereof is an elongated depth gauge B consisting of a body 25 formed with upturned ears 26 at theends thereof. Each ear 26 has an aperture therein and extending through such aperture is a headed bolt 2'! which also extends through one of a pairof upright adjustment slots 28 formed in the body portion I!) of the blade A. The heads of the bolts 21 bear against the ears 26 and the ears, in turn, bear against the one side of the said blade A, while clamping nuts 29 on said bolts 2! bear against the other side of the blade.

The side of the blade-A to which the gauge B is attached is the outer side thereof and it is presented flat-wise relative to the edge-wall 30 (Fig. 3) of a walk or curb 3| (Fig. 3) with the body 25 of the gauge in position overreaching the upper surface 32 of such walk or curb. An outer marginal portion of the gauge-body 25 is made flat to provide a shoe 33 for flat-wise sliding contact with the upper surface of the walk or curb. This shoe 33 is relatively long lengthwise of the gauge-body 25 and is of substantial width transversely thereof.

' Each end of the gauge B is adjustably clamped to the blade A through its respective attaching bolt 21 to dispose the shoe 33, longitudinally thereof, in the desired relationship in respect to the lower edge of the blade A, such relationship determining the depth at which the blade will cut into sod, alongside the walk or curb, and determining also the angularity of the cutting-guiding edge I 8 of the nose ll and the toothed edge of the main portion In of the blade in respect to such sod.

The cutting-guiding edge I8 of the nose II is sharpened by bevelling the same to recede from along the walk or curb by the cutting-guiding edge It, or with the guiding by said cuttingguiding edge of sod uncut thereby to the lower edge of the main portion ll] of the blade A where the forward cutting edges 2| of the teeth l9 act to sever such uncut sod.

The sharpening of the cutting edges 2| of the teeth I9 is effected by bevelling said edges 21 to recede from the inner face of the blade A. Thus, the leading cutting portions of the cutting edges 2! of the teeth l9 are located in a plane inwardly offset from the outer face of the blade A and thereby protected against injurious contact with the edge-wall of a walk or curb. To provide for further protecting the leading cutting portions of the cutting edges 2l'of the teeth l9 against contact with walk or curb, the gauge B is formed {so that the angle, transversely of the guide B and blade A, between the lower face of the guideshoe 33 and the outer face of said blade A, is slightly greater than ninety degrees. Thus, the

blade A in operative-position against a walk or curb is slightly tilted sidewise relative to the edgewall of such walk or curb with the lower edge of said blade spaced from such edge-wall, as shown in Fig. 3. Still further to protect the leading cutting portions of the cutting edges 2| of the teeth l9, said teeth may be set inwardly of the blade after the fashion in which the teeth of a saw are conventionally set.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that my improved tool is of simple, durable and inexpensive construction; that the extracting .points 22, 23 widen the range of usefulness of the tool and are advantageously incorporated therein, and that the adjustable gauge A adapts said tool efiicientthereby in the use thereof.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention,

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A lawn edger comprising an elongated blade struck from sheet material and including a main portion, a nose portion forwardly of said main portion and a butt portion rearwardly thereof, said blade having upper and lower edges generally converging from the butt portion toward the nose portion thereof, said lower edge of said blade along its nose and main portions being a cutting edge, said butt portion being formed with an elongated marginal cut-out therein extending from a point near the upper edge of the blade to a point near the lower edge thereof, the extremity of said butt portion rearwardly of said cut-out providing a handle-mount extending from top to bottom of the cut-out, said cut-out providing a finger-receiving opening forwardly of said handle-mount, and a handle-member secured to the handle-mount.

2. A lawn edger comprising an elongated blade including a main portion, a nose portion forwardly of said main portion and a butt portion rearwardly thereof, a handle member on the butt portion of the blade, said nose portion having a relatively long downwardly and rearwardly inclined cutting-guiding edge, said main portion having saw-teeth along its lower edge in continuation of the cutting-guiding edge of said nose portion of said blade, said inclined cuttingguiding edge of said blade being several times longer than the pitch-length of said saw-teeth.

3. A tool for trimming sod along an edge of a walk, curb or the like, said tool comprising an elongated blade including a main portion, a nose portion forwardly of said main portion and a butt portion rearwardly thereof, a handle member on the butt portion of the blade, said nose portion having a relatively long downwardly and rearwardly inclined cutting-guiding edge, said main portion having saw-teeth along its lower edge in continuation of the inclined cuttingguiding edge, said cutting-guiding edge of said nose portion being several times longer than the pitch-length of said saw-teeth and being bev-. eled to recede inwardly from the outer face of the blade presented next to walk or curb, whereby said edge is rendered sharp and self-acting in the sod to urge the nose of the blade outwardly to? ward the Walk or curb.

4." In a tool, an elongated blade including a main portion and a butt portion rearwardly thereof, 'a handle member on the buttportion of the blade,

the lower edge of said blade being sharpened along the main portion thereof to cut into sod, an 'elon gated gauge longitudinally disposed lengthwise of said blade and extending outwardly therefrom at its outer side to overreach and ride upon the upper surface of a walk or curb in the operative position of the blade with its outer face adjacent the edge-wall of such walk or curb, said gauge havin two adjustable attachments fastening to the same to said main portion of the blade, one attachment being at the forward end of said gauge and one at the rear thereof and each attachment serving to secure its respective end of the gauge to said blade in a position adjacent the lower edge of the blade to vary the angularity of the gauge longitudinally thereof in respect to said lower edge of said main portion of the blade, said gauge having a shoe portion formed with a fiat guiding surface for fiatwise contact with the upper surface of walk or curb, the angularity of said guiding surface, transversely thereof, relative to the outer face of said blade being slightly greater than ninety degrees to guide the transverse dispositioning of the blade at an angle relative to the edge-wall of walk or curb, whereby the sharpened edge of said main portion of the blade will be spaced from such edge-wall.

5. In a tool, an elongated blade including a main portion and a butt portion rearwardly thereof, a handle member on the butt portion of the blade, the lower edge of said blade being sharpened along the main portion thereof to cut into sod, an elongated gauge longitudinally disposed lengthwise of said blade and extending outwardly therefrom at its outer side to overreach and ride upon the upper surface of a walk or curb in the operative position of the blade with its outer face adjacent the edgewall of such walk or curb, said gauge having a shoe portion formed with a flat guiding surface for fiat-wise contact with the upper surface of walk or curb, the angularity of said guiding surface, transversely thereof, relative to the outer face of said blade being slightly greater than ninety degrees to guide the transverse dispositioning of the blade at an angle relative to the edge-wall of walk or curb, whereby the sharpened edge of said main portion of the blade will be spaced from such edge-wall.

6. In a tool, an elongated blade adapted to cut into sod and including a main portion, a nose portion forwardly of said main portion and a butt portion rearwardly thereof, a handle member on the butt portion of the blade, said nose portion having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined cutting-guiding edge, said main portion having a lower cutting edge in continuation of said cuttingguiding edge, an elongated gauge longitudinally disposed lengthwise of said blade and extending outwardly therefrom at its outer side to overreach the upper surface of a walk or curb in an operative position of the blade with its outer face adjacent the edge-wall of such walk or curb, said gauge having two attachments fastening the same to said main portion of the blade, one attachment being at the forward end of said gauge and one at the rear thereof, one of said attachments serving adjustably to secure its respective end of the gauge to said blade in a position more or less closely adjacent to said lower cutting edge of the blade to vary the angularity of the gauge longitudinally thereof in respect to said lower cutting edge of said main portion of the blade, said gauge having a shoe portion formed with an elongated guiding surface longitudinally extending lengthwise of the gauge and adapted to engage the upper surface of walk or curb to guide the angular dispositioning of the blade, longitudinally thereof, in respect to such surface, thereby to maintain a selected angularity between the rearwardly inclined cuttingguiding edge of the nose and the sod along such walk or-curb and between said lower cutting edge of the main portion of the blade and such sod.

7. In a tool, an elongated blade including a main portion, a nose portion forwardly of said main portion and a butt portion rearwardly thereof, a handle member on the butt portion of the blade, said nose portion having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined cutting-guiding edge, said main portion having a sharpened lower edge in continuation of said cutting-guiding edge, an elongated gauge longitudinally disposed lengthwise of said blade and extending outwardly therefrom at its outer side to overreach the upper surface of a walk or curb in the operative position of the blade with its outer face adjacent the edge-wall of such walk or curb, said gauge having a shoe portion formed with an elongated guiding surface extending lengthwise of the gauge and adapted to engage the upper surface of walk or curb to guide the angular dispositioning of the blade, longitudinally thereof, in respect to such surface, thereby to maintain a given angularity between the downwardly and rearwardly inclined cutting-guiding edge of the nose and the sod along such walk or curb and between the sharpened edge of the main portion of the blade and such sod.

HARLEY L. MCKEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 288,198 Baker Nov. 13, 1883 1,067,032 Johnson July 8, 1913 2,288,374 Steele June 30, 1942 

